tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871Mon, 27 Jul 2015 19:40:13 +0000Health Care ReformObama Health PlanMedicare AdvantageMedicareHealth Care CostsHealth Insurance ReformCongressional AgendaPatient Protection and Affordable Care ActMcCain Health PlanObamacareInsurance ExchangesPublic PlanHealth Care TrendHillary Clinton Health PlanMedicaidS-CHIPRomney Health PlanState Health Care ReformPart DWyden-Bennett PlanMassachusetts Health PlanThe ElectionDrug NegotiationIndividual Health Insurance MarketHealth Care EarningsPhysician FeesBush Health PlanCalifornia Health ReformConsumer Driven CareEdwards Health PlanPaul Ryan Health Care ProposalsHealth Information TechnologySingle-Payer Systems"Sicko"Giuliani Health PlanDefined Contribution Health CareObesityIndividual MandateRate ShockRomney Health Plan AnalysisDrug ReimportationHealth Savings AccountsPrimary Care CrisisRichardson Health PlanBaucus Health PlanDeficitsAffordability ModelMLR RegulationsMedicaid Block GrantsMedical Malpractice ReformObama vs. RomneyVEBAWyden-RyanClinton Health Plan AnalysisInsurance Underwriting ReformInternational Health CareMedical Loss Ratio (MLR) RulesObama BudgetObama Health Plan AnalysisPaliin on Health CarePaul Ryan Health Care PlanPrivate Insurance ExchangesQuality Health CareRepublican Health Care PlanThompson Health PlanTransprencyBenefit ShockCED PlanComparative Effectiveness ResearchConstitutionality of the New Health LawERISA Industry Committee PlanFiscal CliffHealth Savings AccountMeans TestingNonprofit HospitalsObama MedicareRepeal the Health LawState-Based Risk Pools"Cadillac" Benefits TaxA Detailed Analysis of the Romney Heatlh PlanAARPAccountable Care Organizations (ACOs)AetnaAetna-Humana MergerAmerican Debt CrisisCo-OpsElectronic Health Records (EHR)Giuliani Health Plan AnalysisHospitalsHospitals-Your Hospital's QualityHuckabee Health PlanHumanaICD-10McCain Health Plan AnalysisNursing ShortagePaul Ryan MedicareRyan Romney Medicaid PlanSection 1332SequestrationShadegg BillSuper CommitteeWyden-BrownHealth Care Policy and Marketplace ReviewA Health Care Reform Blog––Bob Laszewski's review of the latest developments in federal health policy, health care reform, and marketplace activities in the health care financing business.http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)Blogger760125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-7028067832057638254Mon, 27 Jul 2015 19:40:00 +00002015-07-27T14:40:14.001-05:00Health Insurer Merger Mania -- Muscle-Bound Competitors And A New Cold War In Health CareIt is doubtful that the dramatically escalating consolidation in both the health insurance industry and among hospitals and doctors will make our health care system either more efficient or more competitive.
This reminds me of the Cold War. Each side gets more powerful so that
the other side can’t come to dominate it. The two sides finally get so
big and powerful they reach a point of détentehttp://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/07/health-insurer-merger-mania-muscle.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-2163380095589874219Tue, 21 Jul 2015 18:56:00 +00002015-07-21T13:56:42.451-05:00California Senate Votes To Open Up Obamacare To 2.5 Million Illegal ResidentsKing V. Burwell Opponents Said Killing Subsidies Would Blow Up
Obamacare­­––Now They Want To Open Up Unsubsidized Care To Illegal
Californians
And consider this. Passage of the California legislation that has already cleared the Senate (SB 4) could be a real boon to the
business of health care delivery in California. California’s impressive
medical system could be the leader in internationalhttp://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/07/california-senate-votes-to-open-up.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-8518030876566027085Tue, 07 Jul 2015 18:38:00 +00002015-07-07T13:38:12.212-05:00AetnaAetna-Humana MergerHumanaObamacareCould Humana Grovel Any More To Get the Aetna-Humana Merger Approved By the Obama Administration?See my post at Forbeshttp://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/07/could-humana-grovel-any-more-to-get.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-8166098491790686176Mon, 29 Jun 2015 14:39:00 +00002015-06-29T09:39:06.708-05:00Why The Affordable Care Act Isn't 'Here to Stay'­­­­--In One PictureWhy is Obamacare still so unpopular? Why aren’t the working class and
middle-class signing up for it? Why is the Obamacare population sicker
and causing so many big rate increases a year earlier than expected? Is
Obamacare financially sustainable in its present form? Is it politically
sustainable as it is?
Here is one picture that tells you just about everything you need to
know to http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/06/why-affordable-care-act-isnt-here-to_29.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-6348327922290864130Thu, 25 Jun 2015 15:12:00 +00002015-06-25T10:16:22.729-05:00The King V. Burwell DecisionFirst, as any of us who know the market can appreciate, the Court just saved the Republicans from themselves. They were in no way ready to avoid the crisis that would have engulfed the individual market––half of those people on the exchange who would have lost their subsidies and the other half off-exchange that would have seen 30% to 50% rate increases––on top of the big increases already http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-king-v-burwell-decision.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-4251360819008405573Thu, 18 Jun 2015 22:21:00 +00002015-06-18T17:24:54.705-05:00The Republican Proposals to Extend the Obamacare Subsidies If the Supreme Court Ends Them Would Create a Huge Market MessWhile both the House and Senate plans would create a means for people to
continue to be covered in the wake of any Supreme Court finding that
ended the subsidies in the federally run states, what we so far know
about these proposals is clearly unworkable in the market and would lead
to very big and unfortunate unintended consequences.
See my post at Forbes http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-republican-proposals-to-extend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-6474426299771390964Wed, 10 Jun 2015 17:41:00 +00002015-06-19T12:39:54.863-05:00Why Are the Proposed 2016 Obamacare Rate Increases So Large?
Why The Big Obamacare Rate Increases Have Begun a Year Early?
One state after another is reporting big Obamacare rate increases––particularly from many high market share health insurers who have the best claim data.
Where are the rates going up and by how much?
Will regulators cut these rate increases back as they often did last year?
What is causing this a full year before the insurance http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/06/why-are-proposed-2016-obamacare-rate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-3942659401882369740Mon, 01 Jun 2015 20:58:00 +00002015-06-05T13:10:48.114-05:00The Eye Popping 2016 Obamacare Rate Increases Are Out
The Big Rate Increases Are Coming a Year Early
The Obama administration has posted the 2016 rate increases in excess of 10% that the Obamacare health plans are requesting.
There are a lot of them.
All of the federally run states have been posted and some for the state exchanges as well. Both California and New York do not have their rates on this site yet.
Some will quickly argue that many http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-eye-popping-2016-obamacare-rate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-174134793254132767Sun, 31 May 2015 21:05:00 +00002015-06-01T11:58:27.291-05:00The Columbia Journalism Review: "Why We Need Stronger Coverage of Covered California"
The California Press Gets a Critique It Has Long Deserved
Covered California, the Obamacare state-run health insurance exchange, has long been the subject of occasional posts on this blog––none of them flattering.
The constant spin in the face of facts that comes out of Covered California and the way the press, particularly in California, has often just reprinted that spin hasn't been http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-columbia-school-of-journalism.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-6533472455390737422Mon, 27 Apr 2015 14:28:00 +00002015-05-07T09:01:14.702-05:00Republicans Would Extend Obamacare Subsidies If the Supreme Court Strikes Down State Exchange Payments––But With Lots of Conditions
The Republicans should offer an unconditional subsidy extension if the Supreme Court strikes them down
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R) has offered a plan to extend the Obamacare state exchange subsidies into 2017 if the Supreme Court strikes them down this summer. The Republican Senate leadership is supporting his bill.
But Johnson has some pretty big conditions:
Existing subsidies in the http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/04/republicans-would-extend-obamacare.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-1111432858231160762Tue, 21 Apr 2015 17:07:00 +00002015-04-27T09:41:40.324-05:00$1 billion in Federal Tax Dollars and a One Star Rating on Yelp––Quite an Expose––Behind the Scenes at Covered California
California's Obamacare Insurance Exchange Posts Poor Results and is the Subject of an Expose
What a difference a year makes.
Last year the California Obamacare insurance exchange, Covered California, was touted as the poster child for the Obamacare launch. Supporters said it worked well, enrolled lots of people, and was off to the kind of start that proved how successful Obamacare could be.
http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/04/1-billion-in-federal-tax-dollars-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-6093026714779898571Thu, 02 Apr 2015 19:47:00 +00002015-04-02T15:01:09.790-05:00Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's Medicaid Policy––and Now His Position Not to Save Insurance Subsidies if the Supreme Court Strikes Them Down––Says a Lot About How He Would Govern as PresidentSpeaking to a conservative group in Wisconsin this week, presumptive presidential candidate Scott Walker said he would not move to establish a state exchange in order to preserve the Obamacare federal insurance exchange subsidies if the Supreme Court strikes them down in an expected June ruling:
We're going to push back. The President of the United States––they've got to come up with a solution.http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/04/wisconsin-governor-scott-walkers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-3767846775046554961Thu, 26 Mar 2015 13:26:00 +00002015-04-03T08:28:55.379-05:00Headline: "Exchanges Struggle to Enroll Consumers As Income Increases" It's Because of the Obamacare DichotomyHere is an excerpt from a post on this blog from June 21, 2014:
Kaiser Family Foundation Survey Finds Most People Who Bought Health Insurance on the Exchanges Are Happy With It
This week the administration reported that 76% of those who
received a subsidy paid less than the full premium for the plans they
selected. And, 69% are
paying less than $100 after the subsidies––46% are paying $50 http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/03/headline-exchanges-struggle-to-enroll.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-8887647612876130343Wed, 25 Mar 2015 13:48:00 +00002015-04-03T08:30:28.345-05:00The New York Times: Has Obamacare Enrollment Stalled?Readers of this blog know that I have made a number of points about Obamacare in recent months:
The number of people signing up for Obamacare is well below the level necessary to make the rates stable over the long-term––the longstanding insurance industry standard calls for getting 75% of an eligible group in order to have enough healthy people in the pool to pay the costs of the sick people. Ihttp://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-new-york-times-has-obamacare.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-6272743197694584123Thu, 05 Mar 2015 20:24:00 +00002015-04-03T08:31:58.537-05:00The Obamacare Supreme Court Subsidy Challenge––Surprising Comments From Anthony Kennedy and Maybe a Way Out for John Roberts The Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in the King v. Burwell case that would throw out the Obamacare subsidies for millions of people now receiving them in the federally run health insurance exchanges.
It sure sounded like perennial swing vote Justice Anthony Kennedy is ready to save the subsidies and Obamacare given his comments suggesting a finding for the plaintiffs would end up http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-obamacare-supreme-court-subsidy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-2561773144683175764Mon, 02 Mar 2015 18:40:00 +00002015-04-03T08:32:40.185-05:00Republicans: "We Have a Plan For Fixing Health Care" If the Supreme Court Eliminates Subsidies in as Many as 37 States––It Won't Be So SimpleKey Senate Republican committee chairman Orrin Hatch (UT), John Barrasso (WY), and Lamar Alexander (TN) have an op-ed in the Washington Post today saying they have a plan if millions of Americans lose their Obamacare subsidies this summer.
First, I have no idea how the Court will rule, likely in late June. While it is hard for me to see Chief Justice John Roberts voting to strike a major blow tohttp://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/03/republicans-we-have-plan-for-fixing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-8919097145568695321Wed, 18 Feb 2015 20:31:00 +00002015-04-03T08:33:11.846-05:00Obamacare is "Working a Little Better Than We Expected"––Judge for YourselfHere is what President Obama said in a recent video, "The Affordable Care Act is working. It's working a little better than we expected."
On Tuesday, the administration announced that 11.4 million people signed up for Obamacare in the second open enrollment.
That number is higher than the number that will ultimately pay for their coverage and complete the enrollment. Even after they complete http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/02/obamacare-is-working-better-than.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-6045705555004669759Wed, 11 Feb 2015 02:58:00 +00002015-04-03T08:33:41.625-05:00A Detailed Analysis of the Republican Alternative to ObamacareHouse Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton along with Senate Finance Chairman Orin Hatch and Senator Richard Burr have outlined what is, at least for now, the Republican alternative to Obamacare.
Republicans will now argue they have a better health insurance reform plan and that Obamacare should be repealed and replaced by it––particularly if the Supreme Court plunges the new health law into http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-detailed-analysis-of-republican.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-8535122654510339906Thu, 15 Jan 2015 03:44:00 +00002015-04-03T08:34:44.910-05:00Rethink "Repeal and Replace" and Consumer Friendly Obamacare Fixes - Two Op-Eds in USA Today I have no doubt Republicans will insist on proposing their own complex plan to reform the health insurance system that will include repealing and replacing Obamacare.
But I think it is going to get them into more political trouble than it's worth.
Here's the first of my two of op-eds in Thursday's USA Today: Rethink "Repeal and Replace"
Of course that begs a question, Just what should we do http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/01/rethink-repeal-and-replace-and-consumer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-1324467738527933411Tue, 06 Jan 2015 16:14:00 +00002015-04-03T08:35:21.215-05:00Will Tax Season Be Obamacare's Next Big Challenge? Is There Really an Individual Mandate?Will tax-filing season be the next reason for consumers to complain about the new health law? Come tax time, will the Obama administration really enforce the individual health insurance mandate?
The IRS is out with a 21-page publication––Publication 5187––describing what taxpayers need to know about Obamacare in order to file their 2014 taxes.
On page six you will find this:
So, if the http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/01/will-tax-season-be-obamacares-next-big.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-6531665825672993541Mon, 05 Jan 2015 23:50:00 +00002015-02-13T21:01:27.108-05:00The Single-Payer Health Insurance Failure in VermontFor 25 years I've been saying that I wished a little state like Vermont would implement a single-payer Canadian-style health insurance system––"Medicare For All." My argument has always been that such a small and limited experiment would give us the opportunity to see the ideological arguments for such a system play out in the face of fiscal reality and the stakeholders fighting it out in the http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-single-payer-health-insurance.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-2347148246562212807Mon, 29 Dec 2014 21:40:00 +00002015-01-05T18:50:44.616-05:00The Letter You Never Want to Get on Christmas EveI was reading the December 18th issue of Inside Health Insurance Exchanges and came across an article entitled, "New Kids on the Block Come Out Swinging; Co-Ops Lower Rates for Many Health Plans."
The gist of the article had to do with the success a number of Obamacare insurance co-ops have had in charging lower rates and getting lots of market share by "[underpricing] more established players http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-letter-you-never-want-to-get-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-7098230222940301675Thu, 13 Nov 2014 14:02:00 +00002014-12-16T14:25:45.637-05:00How Many People Have Enrolled So Far in Obamacare's Second Open Enrollment?Undoubtedly I will hear that question many times in the coming weeks.
The answer is that this enrollment process is so screwed up we will have no earthly idea how many new people have enrolled and how many 2014 enrollees remained on the program until at least April 2015.
Let me try to illustrate.
Let's say George is now enrolled in Obamacare. He is happy to have subsidized and guaranteed http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-many-people-have-enrolled-so-far-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-4106106496614584227Tue, 11 Nov 2014 00:50:00 +00002014-12-16T14:26:17.907-05:00Is the Administration Low-Balling Their 2015 Obamacare Enrollment Estimate?Well, with an estimate of only 9 million to 9.9 million, apparently they are. But I will suggest the focus should not be on anybody's estimate for 2015 but rather on how many people need to enroll in Obamacare to make it sustainable.
A few points:
The Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that when Obamacare launched in 2014, 17.2 million people were eligible for subsidies.
The only place you can http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2014/11/is-administration-low-balling-their.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1845183703568253871.post-3122429032944574865Fri, 07 Nov 2014 23:02:00 +00002014-12-16T14:27:08.112-05:00Supreme Court Takes the Obamacare Subsidy Case--Justices Will Rule Before July 1In a Wow moment, the Supreme Court announced Friday that they will take one of the four pending "Halbig" cases––specifically King v. Burwell.
The issue is over whether the new health law actually authorizes the payment of premium subsidies in the 37 states that will rely upon the federal government to run their exchange in 2015.
This effort is being made on a number of fronts but has been http://healthpolicyandmarket.blogspot.com/2014/11/supreme-court-takes-obamacare-subsidy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (ROBERT LASZEWSKI)